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Category Archives: Celebrate Musicals Week

Well, this week is Celebrate Musicals Week, hosted by Amy over at Yet Another Period Drama Blog. We’re supposed to do at least three posts on a musical we’ve picked to celebrate, but I’ve been extremely busy and will be really busy this week, so I’ll be lucky if I get two posts done. Be happy with two posts on one musical and my IMHO post on Wicked. (Green yet?)

Onwards with the tag questions!

1. What musical did you pick to “spotlight” this week and why?

Daddy-Long-Legs. I picked it because I think it’s one of the lesser-known musicals out there (being an off-off-Broadway musical…), and I think it needs to be talked about more! (I’m going to leave most of the talking about it for later this week as it’s very late and I don’t want to give up too many details! I don’t care if you look up the musical yet or not. But I guarantee…. You’ll want to by the time I post my review.)

Basically, the story is about a girl named Jerusha Abbott (awful name, I know…) who is the oldest orphan in the John Grier Home, a home for orphans. (Yes, thank you, Mary.) One of the trustees of the Home decides to pay for Jerusha’s education on the condition that she write to him once a month telling him about the things she’s learning and that she doesn’t know who he is. The musical goes on through the next four years and follows Jerusha’s education, her letters to Daddy-Long-Legs (the name she gave to her benefactor because she saw his long shadow as he was leaving the Home and decided he must be very tall), and her relationship with Jervis Pendleton, the young uncle of one of the girls in Jerusha’s dorm.

2. How did you discover the musical you picked (hereinafter referred to as “your musical”)?

(Heehee…. I consider Daddy-Long-Legs to be my musical already cuz I love it so much and I feel like I’m one of the only people on the planet who know about it!)

Well, I read the book byJean Webster of the same title and instantly fell in love with the story, the method of writing, and Jerusha Abbott!

3. If you had to pick three favorite songs from your musical, which ones would they be?

Oh, golly Pete. Only three?!?!?! Fiiiiine…. In no particular order, here they are.

‘I Have Torn You From My Heart’

‘Lock Willow’

‘Mr. Girl-Hater’

4. What’s your least favorite song from your musical?

I literally do not have a least favorite. They’re ALL good!! If you held a knife to my throat and made me pick, Amy, I’d pick…. ‘The Oldest Orphan in the John Grier Home.’ Because it’s just the introduction to the musical and, listening to it for the first time, you have no idea how great it’s going to get!

6. Which versions of your musical have you seen/listened to, and which is your favorite?

Well, I’ve listened to the Original Cast Recording (which is the only recording out there) and the other three actors who have starred in it. I like the original the most.

7. Is this your favorite musical of all time? If not, what is?

No, but it’s probably tied for third with Cinderella. My favorite musical of all time is Les Miserables. Just because. (Second favorites are Phantom of the Opera and Wicked.)

8. Which cast album/musical soundtrack in your collection do you listen to the most?

(Instead of repeating my answer to #6, I’ll assume you mean my entire collection of musical soundtracks.) Either Daddy-Long-Legs, Little Women, Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, The Little Mermaid, The Lord of the Rings (YES, there IS such a thing!), or Annie. XD

9. What is your favorite costume from your musical?

Hmmm…. I dunno! I really like all of Jerusha’s outfits. They’re so pretty!

10. If you could change anything about your musical, what would you change?

The fact that it’s only being preformed in Japan and the West Coast at the moment. Yes, Cosette… this is true. *weeps*

11. Which role(s) would you most like to play in any musical, if you had the opportunity to do so on stage?

Meg Giry. It’s a small enough role that I don’t have to blow the audience away with, but big enough that, HELLO, I’M IN A MUSICAL!!!

12. If you could choose one performer to play any part in your musical, who would you choose and which part would you have them play?

I’d pick Megan McGinnis to be Jerusha again because she was just soooo good in the Original Cast Album!

And Aaron Tveit could be Jervis.

It would be epicness.

13. Do you consider yourself a musical theatre fan in general or do you just like a few musicals?

I’m a musical theatre BUFF. Hello, I asked to go to NYC to see a musical on Broadway for my graduation present!! I LOVE musicals. They’re astonishing and they’ve changed me for good. C :

14. Are you tired of the word “musical” yet?

NO. And I NEVER WILL BE.

15. Turn your music playing device on shuffle (or utilize Pandora if you don’t have one) and tell us the names of the first three show tunes that come up– no cheating! How do these rank on your favorites/most-listened-to list?

‘Drink With Me’ from the 10thAC of Les Mis. I love this song and this version. : ) Ummm…. It’s probably one of my top-ten favorite songs from Les Mis.

‘She’s In Love’ from The Little Mermaid: The Musical. LOVE IT! I think this is my second or third favorite song from this musical. (The first being ‘If Only.’ Sighhhh….)

‘Off to Massachussets’ from Little Women: The Musical. I love this musical! I didn’t love this song until I listened to Daddy-Long-Legs and realized that Megan McGinnis, who plays Jerusha, plays Beth in the Original Cast Recording of Little Women! WOOT!

Which brings me to

Daddy-Long-Legs. Y’all are going to love it. My review should be posted by the end of this week!